The Senate: Survival Above All

T he Senate isn't as fun or as purposeful as it was years ago. The great debates over civil rights, Vietnam and Medicare that produced heroic figures and characters are long gone.

That changed, if only temporarily, this week. The stakes: survival, or more specifically, the McCain-Feingold-Cochran campaign-finance reform that would outlaw soft -- or unregulated -- money. Suddenly the Senate is full of amusing characters. They include:

The Faith of Our Founding Fathers Caucus: During the debate, speakers have routinely...